Tweets on Tumblr.

An academic blog concentrated on new media content, platforms and engagement.

[tweetsontumblr]

Hypochondria? Don't worry - Google will cure it!

                                     Doctors, so very 1970!  Welcome to the age of iMedical where a degree won't consume 8 years of your life or cost you an arm and a leg. After all, who needs legitimised health care when thanks to new media, Google knows all? 

Unsure of how to describe your symptoms or perhaps you're apprehensive to talk to someone in person?  Not a problem - that's what the internet is for!  Pick a problem and choose your treatment.  You might even discover a few more problems with your health you never knew existed... only if you're lucky though!  

Lewis notes that the shift in accessing information has encouraged "...individuals to take responsibility for and manage their own health." (2006, 535).  Yet, the plethora of information available online may have the opposite effect. 

Without the knowledge to distinguish fact from fiction, online diagnosis has the capacity to cause anxiety and confusion about our health concerns.  As Portelli brings to our attention, "Dr Google" has a world of diseases that can be caught by  "...anyone with a broadband connection" (2011).  Leah-Jane took the plunge this week, putting this theory into practice and received some less than desirable 'authorized' responses.

The thought of my medical concerns being diagnosed by people of no qualifications, sends a nasty shiver down my spine.  But don't worry, they've already cured that. So, try it for yourself next time you get that chronic chest pain. The worst that could happen?  Google might actually be right...

References

Lewis, Tania.  2006.  "Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria?" Media, Culture & Society 28 (4): 521-539.

  Portelli, Emily.  2011.  "Dr Google can bring on mouse to mouse resuscitation" Herald Sun, April 4.  Accessed April 9th, 2010. 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/dr-google-can-bring-on-mouse-to- mouse-resuscitation/story-e6frfhqf-1226032970073

[tweetsontumblr]

Habitually Narrating Subconsciously.

                        It is no secret today that billions of people around the globe are dependent on their technology.  50 hour queues for the launch of Apple’s brand new iPad 2 is testament to the growing reliance that we are have.  We want to be the first to touch these products, because they give off a certain vibe - they brand us. Yet, as Deuze (2011, 137), this phenomenon, this great global attachment and need for these devices, has forced media to become to a certain extent, invisible. 

We have come to expect to wake up in the morning and have our devices show the FaceBook comments missed while sleeping.  We now expect that our devices will be there at the end of the night to video chat with a loved one.   However, there need not always be a purpose to check our devices.  As Jordana notes, we habitually check our devices, not necessarily in search of anything in particular.

The features that are integral to the rise of new media have become a ‘given’ as opposed to a luxury.  Sam notes that check-in functions built into social networking sites ensure that “...there is a way to let everyone know” exactly where you are, no matter what you’re doing.  What was once a parallel existence with media has fused into a well synchronised life in media (Deuze 2011, 138).

We are now accustomed to narrating our every day lives, without even realising. These subconscious activities essentially lead to the branding of us as individuals - how people see us and where they rank us on the social ladder. 

I wonder if such a connected lifestyle will force us to be accountable for our actions in a global online sphere? 

References

Deuze, M. 2011. “Media Life.” Media, Culture & Society, 33 (1), 137-148.

[tweetsontumblr]

They would need to be double chocolate chip...

                            Gatekeeper or whistle blower?

 With the freedom of sharing now an influential aspect of the online global sphere, there is the inevitability of information that perhaps should be kept hidden, being leaked to the masses.

The ability to freely post without knowing nor caring who a potential audience may be, provides a murky breeding ground for the power hungry keyboard warriors of the world.  

Individuals hide behind the screen and share thoughts, opinions and information which may be better left for the living room, or more seriously, contained within the four walls of a Government building; perhaps even the five walls of the United States Pentegon.  Wikileaks is a prime example of they warriors that are emerging out of the 21st century.  Hamelink notes that “All the immoralities of physical life occur in virtual reality...” ( 118, 2006). 

On one hand, I can understand why individuals think these truths need to be leaked.  Yet on the other, it all seems a little childish.  Think back to your primary school days.  If you knew who stole the cookies from the cookie jar, would you go telling people?

For me, they would need to be some damn good cookies to keep me quiet.

References 

Hamelink, C. J. (2006). Chapter 7 : The Ethics of the Internet: Can We Cope With Lies and Deceit on The Net? in Sarikakis, Katharine and Thussu, Daya K, Ideologies of the internet. New Jersey: Hampton Press Inc. 115-130.

[tweetsontumblr]

Sometimes, you just get the dud prize...

So you want to find a common interest with someone? Check their hobbies, perhaps even their part-time job.  What about their favourite subject?  Yeah.. Maybe in the 90’s!  Today, the theory goes that all you need to do is pick up their iPod (because everybody has one), and scroll.  After all, our hand held devices are a "potential broadcaster for one's taste" (Levy 2006, 23).  Our music is supposedly representative of who we are as individuals.  Yet, with an increase of content available online, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find niche content with represents you and not 10,000 others.

The low costs associated with online distribution has emerged as an attractive market for entrainment producers.  With non-existant barriers to entry, film makers, musicians and journalists around the globe are freely sharing content with the masses online.  Yet, this is a pressing issue for those in search of that golden nugget of content.  Crowley notes that the rise of new media means that  "...it’s too easy to access the cool stuff” (Crowley in Levy 2006, 24).

So, welcome to the new media arcade! Entertaining, engaging content is a certainty.  Unfortunately, quality is not always guaranteed...

References

Levy, Steven. 2006. “Identity”. In The perfect thing: how the ipod shuffles commerce, culture and coolness. 21-41. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.

[tweetsontumblr]

Web 2.0 - Guess Who?

Needing a fresh start?  Want to add some dazzling qualities to your personality that just aren't there?  How about age, want to drop a couple of years? Or a couple of pounds while you're at it?   Little over being a male?  Start yourself a social networking page and construct yourself a new, more intriguing identity.  

After all, who will ever know?  

The rise of Web 2.0 and the subsequent development of the read-write culture has facilitated the "...portrayal of alternate identities..." (Pearson, 2009) online.  Fortunately, for many who fall victim to the human condition of wanting to be or have something out of reach, people are becoming "...accustomed to thinking of the on-line world as a social space..." (Donath and Boyd, 2004).  Yet, this presents itself as a massive threat to quality 'real-world' social relationships.  

Communication is becoming increasingly reliant on new age technology.  Yet, the rise of this technology is dependent upon participant engagement.  As noted by Pearson, this model of communication is blurring the lines between "...what constitutes public and private conversation and interaction..." (Pearson, 2009).  Barriers to entry online are continually diminishing.  As a result, quality relationships in the physical, real world are being subject to one's availability and portrayal online.

So how about you?  Who do you want to be?  Or perhaps the question is who don't you want to be?

References

Donath, J. and Boyd, D. (2004).  Public displays of connection.  BT Technology Journal, Volume 22 (4): 71-82. 

Pearson, E. (2009).  All the World Wide Web's a stage: The Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks.  First Monday, Volume 14 (3).

[tweetsontumblr]

Test Blog.